Deals

According to The Sunday Times: A public sector events planner is in line for a £50m bonanza from the potential sale of her business. Joanne Walsh is eyeing a life-changing windfall after putting the Manchester-based GovNet Communications, founded more than two decades ago, on the block. The company generated pre-tax profits of £3.5m on sales of £16.3m in 2016. Bankers said it could fetch £50m — 10 times its current £5m operating profit.

Founded in 1997, GovNet has organised conferences, exhibitions, training courses and forums for the public sector. GovNet incorporates multiple divisions which facilitate every aspect of the public sector, from local government and housing to the NHS and higher education sector. Its event divisions include Understanding ModernGov, Inside Government, Inside Intelligence, GovNet Events and GovNet Exhibitions which are supplemented by its own sector specific publications and online networking platforms.

GovNet has an advisory board of senior parliamentary figures to give expert advice on key policy issues across our range of events.

Around 60% of suppliers to the UK’s event industry are facing collapse within three months unless event businesses receive further support from the government. Of those businesses, 6% said they are unlikely to make it to the end of April.